New Feature - Field Measurements

Where to find and download field measurements in Water Data for the Nation

We are excited to announce a new feature on Monitoring Location pages that provide field measurements, which are physically measured values collected during a field visit to a monitoring location.

There has been a lot of change to how you access USGS water data as we work to modernize data delivery in USGS Water Data for the Nation (WDFN) and decommission NWISWeb. As we centralize and re-organize data delivery in WDFN, we have recently set out to describe different types of water data according to data collection categories . We started with re-organizing and expanding the data collection categories that are delivered on the Monitoring Location Page and are now working to deliver additional data collection categories on other WDFN pages as well. This blog is part of a series to help orient you to where you can find different types of data in WDFN pages and services. In this post, we want to focus on how you can access field measurements in WDFN.

Field measurements in WDFN

Field measurements are physically measured values collected during a visit to the monitoring location. Field measurements consist of measurements of streamgage height, discharge, and groundwater levels, and are primarily used as calibration readings for the automated sensors collecting continuous data.

We’re still delivering the same data, but how you access and look at it is going to be a little different. In the soon-to-be-decommissioned NWISWeb, field measurements of groundwater and surface water were delivered with slightly different information and on different webpages. Now, all readings of groundwater level, gage height, and discharge are delivered in the same manner on WDFN pages and from the same water data API endpoint. Read more about where to find field measurements on graphs, in a table, via a download, or through our APIs below.

Where can I graph field measurements?

The primary place to graph field measurements is on the Monitoring Location Page, or MLP, which serves as the hub for all USGS water data collected at a location. In the “Available data” section of the MLP, you will see all the available data types at the location, organized into the data collection categories. You can plot field measurements independently by clicking the “Graph it” button next to a field measurement data type.

Additionally, when you graph continuous data or daily data for gage height, discharge, or groundwater level, field measurements within the current time span of your graph will be automatically shown. This is a very exciting feature that many users depend on from the legacy NWISWeb graphs, and we can now display on WDFN graphs!

There are two other WDFN pages where field measurements are graphed along with the continuous data types: MLP: All Graphs and My Favorites: Graphed. On these pages, you can see all the continuous data graphs on a single page without any clicking—just like the functionality on the legacy Current Conditions page, but with exciting new features and improved usability on mobile devices.

Monitoring Location Pages (MLP): All Graphs

MLP: All Graphs shows graphs for all continuous data types at a single location. You can choose between several available time spans ranging from 2 days to 120 days, and when there are field measurements available in the selected time span, they will be shown on the graphs automatically. You can find the MLP: All Graphs page by adding /all-graphs after the monitoring location identifier in the MLP URL (example: waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/USGS-05370000/all-graphs ) or under the “View related graphs” action button on the MLP when graphing a continuous data type. Read our blog post on the MLP: All Graphs page to learn more.

My Favorites: Graphed

My Favorites: Graphed shows continuous data graphs for a customizable list of locations and data types that you choose. It all starts with a list on My Favorites, a centralized place to keep track of monitoring locations you are interested in. You can create a My Favorites list by starting on a State Page or from a list of monitoring location identifiers. Once you have a list of My Favorites, you can select exactly the locations and continuous data types that you want to include in a list of graphs, and the field measurements available in the current selected time span will be displayed automatically on the graphs. Read our blog post about My Favorites and My Favorites: Graphed to learn more.

Where can I see a table of field measurements?

On the MLP you can find a table view of field measurements by clicking the “View data records” action button. There you will find tables for the data types and time span that are currently graphed on the page. The table for field measurements contains the data values, date and time of collection, data approval status, and any qualifiers. This is a subset of metadata about the field measurements, and you can access full metadata for field measurements from the /field-measurements API endpoint.

Where can I download field measurements?

On the MLP, you can download field measurements by first graphing either a field measurement data type, or a continuous or daily data type with field measurements. Click the “Download data” action button, select the “Field measurements” data type, and click “Retrieve” to download the field measurements that are currently shown on the graph. Field measurements will download as a .csv file. If you would like to download field measurements for multiple locations or data types from a browser, try out the new Download data form . In 2026, we will continue working to support more complex downloads from WDFN pages.

How can I access field measurements via an API?

You can access field measurements and their metadata from the field-measurements API on USGS water data APIs. The field-measurements API replaces the legacy groundwater levels service and provides field measurements for gage height and discharge. Additional columns containing channel morphology metadata will be added to the new API in the near future. Data from the API can be returned in several formats, including .json, .csv, and .html.

You can learn more about the new APIs at https://api.waterdata.usgs.gov , which is the new central hub for all modernized USGS water data APIs. There you will see links to a number of different endpoints, including for other USGS data like the National Imagery Management Service. You’ll also find a Documentation tab that provides a central place for long-form API documentation. From the API homepage, you can also find a signup form for API keys.

Decommission of NWISWeb

Now that field measurements are available throughout WDFN on graphs, in tables, to download, and accessible with the new API, we will be decommissioning the legacy NWISWeb pages that delivered these data. In Decommission Campaign 2, the legacy NWISWeb URLs will be redirected to modernized WDFN webpages when possible, or to relevant resources to help you find the data you were looking for on new WDFN webpages. The legacy URLs will no longer be accessible.

Want to know if your webpage will be affected? Look at the URL in your browser window (for example, waterdata.usgs.gov/ca/nwis/measurements). For field measurements, the decommission impacts https://waterdata.usgs.gov URLs that include:

• /gwlevels
• /measurements

Learn more about the decommission of NWISWeb and stay up-to-date with our decommission timing and progress by following along with the Water Data Blog .

We’re here to help

We understand that change is hard, and some of these changes might feel sudden. We’re here to help. We have staff ready to help you make the transition to using WDFN webpages should you need it. Please reach out to us at gs-w_waterdata_support@usgs.gov with any questions. You can get regular updates about the modernization and decommission effort sent to your inbox by subscribing to the Water Data for the Nation newsletter .

The WDFN websites and services advance the way we deliver water data, and we are focused on continual improvement. Our team uses user-centered design processes to determine what to prioritize next. Let us know how the WDFN pages are working for you by emailing gs-w_waterdata_support@usgs.gov .